Thu Aug 08, 2024 1:17 pm
Pompey boss speaks out on Roberton
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho said his club threw everything at the Alex Robertson deal, but ultimately Cardiff City won the race for his signature.
This Forum first reported City's interest in the Australia international three weeks ago and it's not been a straightforward road to announcing his signature yesterday.
Indeed, Erol Bulut said six Championship clubs were after the 21-year-old, who shone during his loan spell at Fratton Park last term en route to Pompey's promotion from League One. Portsmouth were chief among those who wanted to sign the central midfield player and pushed hard to get a deal over the line.
Ultimately, though, Robertson, whose uncle Gavin Rae is a fan favourite in this corner of the world, chose the Bluebirds.
Cardiff constructed a deal which included offering the player a four-year contract, while they paid an initial fee believed to be worth just shy of £1m, with Man City having a 25% sell-on clause on any future sale.
After learning that Robertson had signed for Cardiff, Mousinho told The News: "There’s loads of reasons (why a player joins a club), there’s always a variety of reasons.
"The only thing I’d say about Alex, in terms of where we are as a football club and what we could do, is we did everything we could."